Black Widow Spider Web

Black widow spider webs are commonly found near ground level inside storage sheds or in small holes and crevices around building foundations and outdoor furniture. Inside, webs may be found in crawl spaces and basements. Webs act as retreats for spiders, traps for prey and defenses against predators.

Identification
A black widow spider’s web is irregular in shape and is made of strong threads. Black widow spider webs appear uneven and tangled. In actuality it is actually carefully planned. The architecture of the black widow web is carefully composed of three structural levels: the uppermost portion is made of supporting threads, the central zone is made of tangle threads and the lower zone consists of vertical trap threads. Webs appear more maintained when inhabited by spiders and fall into disrepair in the arachnids’ absence.

Females tend to hang upside down from their webs, allowing the red, hourglass marking on their abdomens to become visible. This marking signals danger to predators and other attackers.

These arachnids are surprisingly clumsy when not in direct contact with the web. When attacked, black widows drop from their webs to feign death.